Life in the wake of the storm can wreak havoc with one's sense of right and wrong. Since August 29th, new rules apply, and NOLAFugees.com is hear to provide you with a solid compass.
This week, what happens when the post-apocalypse complicates centuries of tradition?

>>Dear NOLAFugees,
 
For years my friends and I have been sharing king cake during the Mardi Gras season. Even as we’ve grown and our lives have changed—new jobs, new houses, kids, divorces, everything, we’ve always kept the tradition of the king cake party alive. No matter what, whoever got the baby always hosted the party the following week.  I remember one year Brent was going through an ugly divorce, but when he bit into that little piece of plastic, he sure as hell didn’t cancel his obligation to host the next party.  And what a party that was! We ate off their good wedding china—Brent didn’t care at this point what we did—drank all their hard liquor, and went to see Galactic’s late set at Tips.      
 
Anyway, last Friday, we gathered at a friend’s place Uptown. (we like to call it the Isle of Denial--lol ;) We had a big pot of red beans, some vegetarian friendly dishes, a case of Restoration Ale and of course, BTE blaring from the sound system.  Things started to feel normal again.
 
Then came time for the king cake.  Three quarters of the cake was gone before our buddy Nate who used to live out in Lakeview went for his second piece and found the baby.  Well, I guess I don’t have to tell you, Nate and his wife lost everything after the levee breach.  Right now they’re staying with Tina’s parents out in Metairie.  (They’re still waiting on their FEMA trailer.)
 
The weekend’s approaching, and we don’t have a location for our next king cake party.  Should we ask Nate and Tina to put together something outside their drowned home? But what if the weather doesn’t cooperate? Should Tina ask her parents if we could have the party their place in Metairie?  I’d volunteer to host the party myself, but tradition is tradition. 
 
>>King Cake Ken
  
>>Dear KCK,
 
You’re right to stick up for tradition because one thing is certain—if we don’t uphold the values of the past, we’re heading for a slippery slope of moral decay.  Clearly, this is Nate’s problem, not yours-- He went for a second piece!—and as we see it, he’s got two options.  He can either send his in-laws to Vicksburg for the weekend or rent a tent to put outside of his Lakeview home.  The storm’s affected everyone, and if Nate’s not man enough to take responsibility for his end of the bargain, then you’ve got to step in and remind him what carnival season is all about.
 
Follow your heart,
Editors
NOLAFugees.com 
Should we let a little thing like the Apocalypse get in the way of our Carnival traditions?
Has the hurricane caused you to face a difficult ethical dilemma in the wake of the storm? Caught in that grey area that opens after great human tragedy? Let the NOLAFugees.com be your guide. Email your quandry to editors@nolafugees.com and let us sort it out!